Tim Carman is a very busy man. Tim is the full time touring drummer for the blues band GA20 but when he's not participating in someone else's project he's got several of his own. Known around Boston as the drummers drummer, Tim has his more soul influenced band Tim Carman & The Street 45s as well as his organ trio The Tim Carman Trio. On top of that the man is an author on books about drumming and most famously "Haynes-isms" about the American jazz drummer Roy Haynes. We hope this little interview encapsulates everything that is going on in the Tim Carman Universe. As well today you can hear a brand new release of instrumental tracks on all streaming services from his 2019 release Tim Carman & The Street 45s:
1. How did the band form and what does the band name mean?
After years of being a sideman, Tim formed the Street 45s in 2018 as an outlet for his own writing. The name of the band actually comes from a pipe fitting. Tim’s father John is a plumber and the name is a nod to his dad and mom who have always supported his musical career. The “45” signifies the angle of the fitting and “street” describes the male to female elbow of the fitting.
2. Previous musical projects? How'd you first get into music?
Tim currently plays and tours with GA-20 and also leads another side project called the Tim Carman Trio. Tim started playing music fifth grade when his older brother invited him to play drums in his punk band.
3. First concert that you ever went to?
The first concert I ever attended was the Red Hot Chili Peppers and Foo Fighters back in the late 90s. My aunt took me! Shout out to Melissa Carman-Donnelly for being awesome and taking a middle schooler to a rock concert.
4. What's your writing process like?
As a drummer, I usually start off with a groove idea and then layer on top of that. I use a midi keyboard to create demos, then I work with producer Dave Brophy to put all the pieces together.
5. What other artists or songs inspire your music?
The Street 45s draw inspiration from a variety of funk/soul artists of the 1960s and 70s, such as The Meters, Funkadelic, Shuggie Otis, Booker T. & The M.G.’s, and Wah Wah Watson, to name a few. All of these artists have been added to the attached Street 45s Inspiration playlist.
6. What's the live experience like and your philosophy on playing live? Do you think the music live should be identical to the recorded version or should it be it's own thing?
Because I’m on tour mostly with GA-20, we don’t play live that often. We do, however, have a live album available called Live At State Park. This album was a blast to make and is a mix of originals and covers by artists like Booker T. & The M.G.’s and the Meters. It's a bit of a departure from the first studio album as we did not have a horn section and I was leaning stylistically in the direction of the Meters and Booker T.
7. Has the band toured?
We have not toured. But I'm currently on tour with GA20. Come say hello!
8. What's up next for the band?
I am currently writing and preparing for The Street 45s second full length LP!
https://timcarmandrums.com/